Cleveland State University already was on an ascendant arc in April 2009 when Ronald M. Berkman was chosen to succeed Michael Schwartz as president of the school.

Berkman, a native of Brooklyn, New York, had been the provost, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Florida International University. The college opened as Fenn College in 1923 and took its current name in 1964, and Berkman has overseen the continued execution of a $500 million capital improvement program initiated during Schwartz’s tenure that continues to transform the physical appearance of CSU’s downtown campus while also modifying its image as primarily a commuter school.

On Berkman’s watch, CSU has undertaken and finished many major construction projects including the Euclid Commons student housing complex and Center for Innovations in Medical Professions. Projects underway as of this writing include The Edge student apartment high rise on East 18th Street and the $60 million, 100,000-square-foot addition to the Washkewicz College of Engineering on East 24th Street.

During a recent interview, Berkman pointed with pride to the public-private partnerships that are enabling many of the additions to the university’s campus. He also cited the high national ranking achieved by CSU for retention and graduation rates as well as tuition value.

The 69-year-old Berkman is fond of his adopted hometown.

“Cleveland is an enormously interesting city with a big heart, great resources and some significant challenges,” he said.

Q What are your plans for Wolstein Center, the basketball arena and athletic department office? There are reports you want to raze the current building and replace it with a multi-use complex that would include student housing, a smaller sports arena and retail spaces.

A I’m not sure, but I will say this is an issue generating an extraordinary amount of interest in the community. We had a master plan exercise two years ago. One area of the campus identified for re-purposing was the space occupied by Wolstein Center. We need to build more freshman dormitories and we are virtually out of footprint everywhere else on the campus. When it opened (in 1990), Wolstein Center was conceived as the premier downtown arena. Then came the Q (Quicken Loans Arena, formerly Gund Arena). The promise that Wolstein Center would be a revenue source for the university was never realized. Now. it’s a quarter-century old and is requiring a lot of maintenance and infrastructure work. We are seeking proposals for a campus village to be built on the current site.

Q In your perfect world, how does this situation play out?

A We take down the Wolstein Center and replace it with a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena and convocation center with 5,000 to 6,000 seats. Around the new arena, we build a village of low-rise student housing and retail spaces. That would create enormous energy on the south border of the campus across from the new Center for Innovation in Medical Professions.

Q What is the chance of that happening in the next five years?

A I’d say 60-40 to the positive. We’re very cautious about financial stewardship here. That’s why we’re out looking for a private developer to make this happen, the same as we did with The Edge apartment project. It will have to be a good business deal for the developer and the university. There is no other impediment.

Q Clinton Ramsey, who played basketball here in the mid-to-late-1980s, recently returned to CSU to complete requirements for his bachelor’s degree. He said he was blown away by the transformation of the campus since his initial time here. Your reaction to his re-enrollment and observations about the campus?

A I’m gratified he recognizes what’s been done and feel enormous pride that he was so determined to fulfill a promise to himself. He is such a role model to come back and finish his degree. He wants to demonstrate to his daughters that you can finish what you start.

Q What’s the thinking behind the emphasis you’ve placed on adding student housing on the campus?

A The Campus District in downtown Cleveland is increasingly a residential area. When I took this job, I felt it was imperative to make the campus community a residential neighborhood. The university can’t be an island in a sometimes difficult neighborhood..We need to be part of the remarkable growth of downtown Cleveland as a residential community. My goals include adding another 1,100 beds so we can have 20 percent of our student population living within a two-mile radius of the campus.

Q Will Cleveland State always be considered a commuter school?

A We will always have commuter students. We’re fortunate to have a well-developed public transportation system in the Cleveland area. The year-round RTA passes we offer to students are a tremendous value.

Q What are issues that are constants for Cleveland State.?

A Parking is always a concern. As a state university, budgets are a challenge. Ohio is 37th in per-capita funding of higher education. Since there also is a state-ordered cap on tuition, I feel the state has a responsibility to step up and help us close the gap between what’s being budgeted and what’s being spent.

Q You will be eight years on this job early next year. Has your experience as president measured up to your expectations?

A It’s been every bit as gratifying as I thought it would be. Coming here, I hoped it would be a place where I could make a real difference.. All of the partnerships the university has engaged in are particularly rewarding. Thee is no better place for me than a school in the center of a city.

About the Author

David has been a full-time writer with The News-Herald since 1984. He writes about news, sports and entertainment, He served as president of the Television Critics Association from 1993-95. Reach the author at dglasier@News-Herald.com
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